Wrong Number

Chapter 24

Mina paused at the doorway into the dining room. Of course, a table would have to be large to accommodate seven men but she hadn't expected it to be that large. They were taking their seats while Hoseok helped Jin bring the food over. Tae and Jimin had left a seat empty between them. Jimin looked up and motioned for her to join them. 

Her seat was directly across the table from Yoongi and Jin. Namjoon took one head of the table with Hoseok at the other end. The food smelled delicious. She couldn't remember the last time she had a home-cooked meal that hadn't come from the cafeteria or worse, take out.  

"So, Mina, tell us a bit about yourself," Jin said. He scooped noodles from the bowl in the center of the table onto her plate. Tae was busy splitting vegetables between his plate and hers and Jimin was adding meat. 

"Umm... I'm a student at the University of Seol, second year," she said. It was always hard to think of something to tell about herself. 

"Nice, what are you studying?" he asked. 

She looked down at her food while she answered. "Business," she answered. "My parents run an Inn so I thought it would be a good choice in order to help out." 

That earned her a few appreciative nods from around the table. "That sounds like a good reason. Is their Inn here in Seoul?" Namjoon asked. 

Mina shook her head no. "It's in Gwangju. I normally take the bus since it's the cheapest and only around three and a half hours to get there." She took the lull in conversation as a chance to take her first bite of food. 

"That's not too bad," Yoongi spoke up. He looked across the table at her. "You get a break for fall soon, right?" 

She swallowed quickly and took a drink of her water. "I do. I'm planning on leaving Friday morning on the first bus to go see them. I might go Thursday if classes let out early." 

"Are you doing well in those classes?" Hoseok asked. She nodded yes. "Then I say skip and go see them early. It would be a fun surprise and family is important." 

Jin shot him a look. "Normally I would advise against skipping classes but he's right. Plus with your injury and everything with the media, I can imagine a break would do you good." 

"And dealing with Jungkook," Yoongi added. "I'd also suggest turning your phone off or just leaving it in your dorm. He seemed wound up when he left here earlier." 

Tae dropped his knife onto his plate. "Do not leave your phone!" 

"Or turn it off!" Jimin added. 

"What if there's an emergency?" Tae asked. 

Mina blinked between them. "An emergency? Like what?" 

"Like if I get bored," Tae answered with a sly grin. 

Jin scoffed. "Your entertainment is hardly reason enough for her to stress herself out. A break is supposed to be relaxing. That's why I turned mine off when I went to see my parents." 

"So that's why I couldn't reach you," Namjoon spoke up. 

Jin looked over at him with a curious expression. "You tried to call me?" 

Namjoon took another bite of his food and wiped his lips before speaking. "I did. I forgot to turn the air conditioner off before I left." 

Jin rolled his eyes. "Hardly my problem. Speaking of," he turned back to Mina. "Have you considered what you're going to do about Jungkook? You certainly seem to have his interest but if you're not interested, I would say to let him know instead of dragging it out. It'll only cause more problems for you if you let it go on." 

His question seemed to gain the attention of the others. Several heads turned her way as they waited for her to answer. It wasn't like there was any pressure there or anything. 

"I was planning to use my break to clear my head. I like him, but I'm still trying to get over my feelings for someone else. I think today has made that easier for me though," she answered. 

The atmosphere felt heavy to her. The conversation was about her potential love life, or the lack thereof. It seemed like she wasn't the only one who thought so. 

"And here I thought going to the bathroom was a normal thing. Really, Mina, those girls meant nothing to me," Jimin joked. 

"You? Clearly she's talking about me," Tae interjected. "We totally had a moment. I got her ice cream." 

"Well, I suggested the ice cream. You just happened to be there," Jimin stuck his tongue out. 

"I put her shoe on her and carried her out of the diner. It's so obviously me," he stuck his own tongue out. "And we had a meme war," he spoke around his tongue muffling his words. 

Jin blinked several times before setting his own knife down. "You're both ridiculous." 

"So what about you guys? Anything new or exciting?" she asked to turn the conversation away from herself and the two beside her. Her face was beet red. They were just joking but men that gorgeous should not be allowed to tease a girl like that. 

"You stopped listening to us last year, right?" Yoongi asked. There was no accusation in his tone. It was level and neutral but for some reason, that seemed to make her feel worse. 

"Yes," she answered softly. 

"I released my mixtape," he said. "Agust D." 

Her face heated back up when she nodded her head. "I heard it. It was amazing. There were reaction videos that claimed you were one of the fastest rappers and your music video made it look so effortless." 

It earned her a genuine smile from him. "Thank you. I'm glad you liked it." 

"I'm working on something myself," Hoseok spoke up. He was practically beaming from his end of the table. 

"Don't hold your breath," Namjoon grinned. "If we're lucky, he'll release it before we retire to a nursing home." 

The banter continued as they ate. They were all so clearly comfortable with each other, joking and teasing each other over everything until they had finished and one by one they excused themselves. 

"It was wonderful to meet you, Mina," Jin said as he walked her to the door. A company car sat in the driveway to take her back to her dorm. 

"We would take you back but it's late and Jin doesn't trust us not to get caught," Tae grumbled. 

"Or to not wreck the car," Jimin added. 

She grinned as they both hugged her goodbye and Tae ruffled her hair. "Probably for the best," she teased. 

The ride back to her dorm was done in silence. In the rush to leave her dorm she had forgotten her phone so she had little to distract herself with. The driver waited patiently for her to get out before driving off. Her couple of weeks of practice paid off as she made it up to the second floor on her crutch without even stumbling. 

The only hesitation came when she stepped off the elevator and realized there was someone sitting outside the door waiting for her. 

"You were out late," the person said. 

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I hope this didn't feel rushed?